A fuel cell is an electrochemical device capable of converting the chemical energy of a fuel and an oxidant into electrical energy. A standard fuel cell is comprised of an anode and cathode separated by a conducting electrolyte which electrically insulates the electrodes yet permits the flow of ions between them. The fuel cell operates by separating electrons and ions from the fuel at the anode and transporting the electrons through an external circuit to the cathode. The ions are concurrently transported through the electrolyte to the cathode where the oxidant is combined with the ions and electrons to form a waste product. An electrical circuit is completed by the concomitant flow of ions from the anode to cathode via the conducting electrolyte and the flow of electrons from the anode to the cathode via the external circuit.
In particular, polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) may be of interest. PEMFCs may eliminate electrolyte leakage, lower corrosion, simplify stack design and increase ruggedness. Producing PEMFCs may require complex procedures, such as powder catalyst production, ink preparation from catalyst powder, and spreading the ink on a gas diffusion layer. Furthermore, as PEMFCs may require platinum (Pt) catalyst as an active material of electrodes, it may be beneficial to increase the reaction sites in the catalytic layer and, thus, to improve electrode performance and reduce Pt loading. Therefore there is a need to develop methods that increase the reaction sites in the catalytic layer while at the same time reduce the Pt loading.